BUFFALO, N.Y. – Darwinson Valdez figures he shaved $200
off the cost of textbooks this semester. Yet unlike his peers, some
who don’t buy textbooks at all due their cost, the
cash-strapped senior acquired everything his professors asked him
to read.

How?

Valdez is enrolled in a new University at Buffalo Libraries
program that makes electronic textbooks, also known as e-textbooks
or digital textbooks, available to hundreds of students at no cost.
The effort, which has the potential to save students money and
boost their grades, reflects changing dynamics that make it easier
for university libraries provide textbooks to students.

“Some students simply cannot afford to buy all the
textbooks required for their classes,” said H. Austin Booth,
vice provost for university libraries. “The e-textbook
initiative has the potential to make education at UB more
affordable and improve student learning and success at the same
time.”

UB Libraries launched the program last fall by offering
e-textbooks in five courses. Roughly 800 students participated. It
switched gears this semester, opening the program to roughly 300
students in the university’s Educational Opportunity Program
(EOP), which supports students who have educational, economic or
personal hardships.

Valdez doesn’t consider himself disadvantaged, however,
his parents divorced when he was young. With his mother as his sole
caretaker, Valdez grew up in the Dominican Republic and The Bronx
and before landing at UB where he is majoring in political science
and philosophy.

He signed up for the e-textbook program this semester and liked
what he saw. UB Libraries buys access to the textbooks and makes
them available online via computer, tablet, smartphone or e-reader
to students.

“A lot of the books that I needed were available,”
Valdez said. “I think I probably saved $200 this
semester.”

Other students in the program could save even more money, Booth
said.

According to a 2008 report from the New York State
Comptroller’s office, freshmen in New York’s public
colleges and universities pay $400 to $800 each semester for
textbooks. Other studies suggest that 70 percent of college
students have, at some point, decided against purchasing a textbook
due to its cost, and that 15 percent do not buy textbooks at
all.

Traditionally, UB Libraries has played a marginal role in the
provision of textbooks to students. The multiple copies needed
combined with high prices and frequent new editions made the
practice cost-prohibitive, Booth said. E-textbooks offer an
alternative, she said, essentially allowing students to
“rent” access to textbooks instead of buying them.

UB Libraries will offer the program next academic year and,
afterward, prepare a report based upon ongoing surveys that seek to
determine how useful it is, Booth said. So far, student opinion is
mixed. Some enjoy e-textbooks while others struggle to remain
focused when reading from the computer.

The e-textbook program is part of an in-house grant initiative
at UB started by President Satish K. Tripathi called the “3 E
Fund” – the “3 E’s” stand for
excellence, engagement and efficiency. The grant program, which
funds everything from bioinformatics research to creating a center
for excellence in writing, aims to make UB one of the
nation’s premier public research universities.

“We are committed to making UB a top-tier research
university that provides its students a world-class
education,” said A. Scott Weber, PhD, senior vice provost for
academic affairs at UB. “And we’re also committed to
making that educational experience affordable, especially for
financially disadvantaged students.”

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